Window-shade adjuster.



1.1- soum."

wmoow SHADE ADJUSTER APPLICATION FILED JAN- 20. [915- Patented Dee.11,1917,

Fig.3. jz arga 4 10 WITNESSES ATTORNEY JEROME J. SOUTH, OF MEMZPHIS, TENNESSEE.

wInnowsHAnE ADJUSTER.

Specification of Lettere l atent,

Patented Dec.11,1917.

Application filed June 20, 1916. Serial No; 104,723.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEROME J. SOUTH, a

' citizen of the United States, residing at Memphis, in the county of Shelby and State of Tennessee, hav'e'invented a new and useful VVindow-Shade Adjuster, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention has reference to window shade adjusters and its object is to provide a device for carrying a 'window shade,

. whereby the shade as a whole may be raised and lowered to obtain light and, if desired,

holding bracket.

air above as well as below the shade.

In accordance with the presentinvention the shade holder or adjuster is formed with a minimum numberof parts'of a character to be applied to a shade by any person of ordinary intelligence and without-particular mechanical skill.

The invention comprises structures for receiving the opposite pintle ends of a spring shade roller with such structures having means for the attachment of a cord thereto threaded through the structures in a manner to hold them inconstant engagement with the shade roller, so that the cord may be manipulated in a manner to bodily raise and lower the shade with the roller without disturbing the proper relation of the structures with the shade roller and to hold the parts I cal form of the invention, the latter is not confined to any strictconformity with the showing of the drawings, but may be changed and modified so long as such changes and modifications come within the scope of the appended claims.

r In the drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of a window casing with the invention applied.

Fig. 2 is'a View of the shade roller with the carrying structures in longitudinal vertical section.

Figs. 3 and 1 are opposite faceviews of one roller holding device designed to re ceive the windingpintle of a springshade roller. r i V Figs. '5 and 6 are opposite face views of the other holding structure designed to receive the round pintle of the shade roller.

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 7-7 of F ig. Sis a side view'of one'of the cord receiving rollers.

Fig. 9 is a detail sectional view of acord-holding clip.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a cord- Referring to the drawings there is shown a window frame 1', which may be taken as indicative ofany suitable window frame or any casing for anopening to which a shade is to be applied. There is also shown in the drawings 'ashade roller 2 and a shade 3, the roller 2 being assumed to be an. ordi nary spring shade roller'and the shade 3being assumed to be an ordinary shade; neither ofwhic'h need any special descriptionl For the purpose of directly'supporting the shade roller, which is provided with the usual winding pintle 4 and round pintle 5, there are two elongated, plate-like support ing structures 6 and 7, respectively,"which structures, in the installed position, are upright. Expressions of position with respect to the supporting structures have reference,

therefore, to the installed structures. The supporting structure 6 is conveniently made I of two face plates 8, 9, with the plate 8 having edges 10' turned about the plate 9 to hold the two plates together. The plate 8 has a longitudinally extended struck-up portion 11 providing a groove 12 on its inner face arranged at a slight angle't-o the longitudinal center line of the structure 6.

such center line areoth'er' struck-uppertions 13, 14:, respectively. The plate 9 has corresponding struck-up portions 15, 16,

matching the struck-up portions 13,14, and isalso provided with another struck-up por-- tion 17 adjacent to that end of the groove 12 constituting the lower end inoperative position, the upper end of the groove opening through the top of the plate 8 near'one side thereof. The'struck-up portions 15,16 and 17 are in the center line of the-plate 9 with the struck-up portion 15 having a slot 18 arranged at an angle to the longitudinal center line of the supporting structure 6 with its line of inclination opposite to that of the inclination of the struck-up portion 11.

The struck-up portion 1a has a passage 19 centrally therethrough and the struck-up portions 16 and 17 have respective passages 20 and 21 through them, these passages all being central to the parts in which they are formed. The result is that the supporting structure 6 has a longitudinally inclined channel 12 therein open at the top and closed at the bottom considering the parts to be in the installed position, while in the longitudinal center line .of the structure near the top is a chamber-22 formed by the matching struck-up portions 1 1 and 16. Near the middle ofE-the structure 6 is another chamber 23 formed by the matching struck-up portions 13 and 15, and near the bottom of the structure 6 is another chamber at formed by the struck-up portion 17 and the lower end of the struck-up portion 11.

The structure 17 consists of two face plates 25, 26, respectively, with the face plate 25 having edges 27 turned about the plate 26 to hold the two parts together in the same manner as already described with respect to the supporting structure 6. The face plate 25 has a longitudinal central struckup portion 28 open at its upper end and extending for a short distance along the length of the plate 25. At the middle of the plate 25 there is a struck-up portion 29 and near the bottom of the plate is another struckup portion 30 having a central passage 31 therethrough. The plate 26 is provided near the top with a struck-up portion 32 having a central passage 33 therethrough. Near the middle the plate 26 has a struck-up portion 31 with a passage 35 cent-rally there through and near the bottom the plate 26 has a struck-up portion 36 with a central passage 37 therethrough. The struck-up portion 28 provides a longitudinal channel 38 leading from the top of the supporting structure 7 to a point about coincident with the struck-up portion 32 and its opening 33, thereby providing a chamber 39 within the upper portion of the structure 7. The struck-up portions 29 and 34 provide a chamber 410 and the struck-up portions 30 and 36 provide a chamber 41.

The passages 18 and 35 are designed to receive the pintles 4 and5, respectively, and are shaped similarly to ordinary curtain roller brackets to hold the pintle 41 against rotation and permit rotation of the pintle 5 as needed.

There are also provided rollers 1-2 with grooves 13 therein, which rollers are arranged to be fastened to the top corner portions-of the frame 1 by pins or screws 1 1 between which and the rollers there are lodged plates 45 with tongues 46 designed to guard the groove 43 and at the same time permit access thereto.

There is also provided a cord 47, one end of which is lodged and made fast in the chamber 11 by means of a knot 48 in said end of the cord, this being made possible by having the passage 31 of suliicient size. The cord is carried through the passage 3 across the shade 3 into the chamber 24 by way of the passage 21 and then along the channel 12 out from the top of the supporting structure 6. Continuing, the cord is carried to the roller 42 on the correspond ing upper corner of the window frame, thence across the top of the window frame to the other roller 4-2 and down to provide a loo-p 19 having its return run carried about the same roller d2 as the first run of the loop, and thence the cord is carried to and through the channel 38 of the supporting member 7, through the passage 33, across the shade to the chamber 22, entering the latter by way of the passage 20 and is there formed into a knot 50, the passage 19 being large enough to permit the formation of the knot and its return into the chamber 22.

En a in the 1003 19 is an elastic hook D 23 51 having a return portion 52 close enough to the body of the hook 51 to receive and clamp the cord 17 in the hook. At the end of the body or shank of the hook 51 remote from the return portion 52 there is formed a tapering receptacle 53 having its small end provided with a passage 54: to admit one end of a cord 55, the same end being formed into a knot 56 of a size to lodge in the receptacle 53 but too large to escape through the passage 5 1. The other end of the cord maybe provided with an operating ball 57 or other manipulating means.

There is also provided a bracket '58 adapted to be attached to one of the side members of the window frame near the bottom thereof, and this bracket has an angle extension 59 with matching angle notches 60 on opposite edges in which the cord 55 maybe lodged, so that a. single turn of the cord about the angle extension 59 with the cord lodged in the notches 60 will hold the cord against longitudinal movement. The bracket 51 grips the cord 17 with sufficient force to prevent movement of the cord through the hook, but admitting of the removal of the hook when desired and its readjustment with respect to the loop 49. The curtain is provided with the usual manipulating cord 61 which needs no particular description.

The entire device may be supplied to a customer with the cord reeved through the supporting structures 6 and 7 and with the knots 48 and 50 lodged in the respective chambers 41 and 22, but without the shade roller in place. A customer may very'readily apply the two rollers to the upper corner portions of the window frame, for the cord 17 may be applied to the rollers under the tongues 46 without difliculty. Now, the two supporting structures 6 and 7 after the cord has been applied to the rollers, are separated suflieiently to admit of the application of the shade roller 2 with the pintles 4: and 5 in the respective passages 18 and 35, so that the platesS and 25 are outermost. The cords? runs freely tions facilitating the easy running of thethrough the channels 12 and 38, the rounded construction of the respective struck-up porbe applied to the extension 59 of the bracket 7 58, which latter is assumed to have been fastened to the window casing, and .the shade holder is held at the desired height. The shade roller itself acts as a spreader for the supportingstructures 6 and 7 and these structures automat1cally assume asubstantially parallel position one with respect to the other at the opposite ends of the shade holder, being maintained in such parallel position by the runs of the cord between them, which runs are arranged above and below the shade roller. IVhen it is desired to raise or lower theshade and rollertogether,

the cord is pulled down or loosened, as 1 the case may be, and the cord 47 moves over the rollers 42 permititng the bodily raising and lowering the shade and maintaining the horizontal position of the-shade, this being assured by the fixed position of the cord holding device 53 with respect to the loop 49. In any position of the shade supporting device the shade itself maybe raised and lowered with respect to the roller in the same manner as is customary with spring roller shades.

The channel for the cord through the supporting structure 6 extends lengthwise of such structure at an angle to the longitudinal center line thereof, this resulting in counteractingthe tendency of the structure to turn with the roller, since it is the support 6 into which the pintle 4 enters. When the shade itself is pulled to cause it to unroll from the roller, or even to roll thereon, there is a tendency to twist the supporting structure or holder out of perpendicular. Moreover, the slot 18 for receiving the pintle 4: is also inclined with respect to the perpendicular and the inclination is outwardly from the window frame. When a person pulls down upon the shade for the purpose of unlocking it to allow it to roll up, or of unrolling it, the tendency is to turn or twist the holder until the longitudinal center line thereof is out of perpendicular, whereupon the pintle 4 and the slot 18 will reach about a perpendicular pothe first' holder. times there is'a pullon both cords due to the weight of the shade and roller which sition. This facilitates thedropping of the H catches or dogs atthe end of the shade roller into the notches in the spring shaft or rod ,of the shade roller. 1

The knots on the. ends of the cord are both l1oused'within the respective holders 6 and 7 and so are hidden from view, thus adding to the appearance of the device. One end of thecord is made fast to one of the holders and is reeved through the other holder, while the other end of the cord is made fast to the second holderuand isreeved through The result is'that at all tends to equalize the pulls on opposite sides of the shade roller, wherefore the holders 6 and 7 are maintained in substantially parallel relation at all times because of the freedom of movement of each end portion of thecord through the holder remote from that to which it is secured. The pulls of theends of the cords upon the two holders are oppositely directed at opposite ends of the holders with the shade roller acting as a pivotal spreader intermediate'of the cords. All extensions of the cord because'of stretching or othercauses are amply taken up and the parts automatically maintain their proper positions. a I In the foregoing description and in the following claims the member 47 is termed a cord, but it will be understood that this term is intended to cover any flexible member adapted for the'purpose- .VVhat is claimed is V 1. In a window shade adjuster, elongated, plate-like holding devices for and individual to and located at the opposite ends of the window shade'roller and arranged substantially upright in the installed position, with each holding device having an the lower end of said last-named device,

said cord being reeved through and freely movable along the longitudinal channels in said devices.

2. In a window shade adjuster, hollow,

elongated, plate-like holders for the shade roller, each comprising opposed connected face plates defining between them a longitudinal channel opening at one end through one end of the holder and at the other end opening through one face of the holder, and said holder also containing a chamber for receiving and holding one end of an adjusting cord, each holder also being provided in i With a passage intermediate of the ends of the holder to receive a respective pintle-end of theshade roller.

3. In a Window shade adjuster, a pair of holders for a shade roller each having an intermediately located receptacle for a respective one of the pintles of the roller, one holder being provided With a relatively long channel extending throughout the greater portion oi the length of the holder, said channel having one end opening through one end of the holder and the other end opening through one face of the holder adjacent to the other end thereof, and said holder having a receptacle at the end of the holder remote from the side opening of the channel to receive an end of an adjusting cord, and the other holder having a relatively short channel extending through it With one end opening through one end of the holder and the other end opening through one face of the holder, and said second holder being provided near the end remote from the channel. with a receptacle for the end of an adjusting cord.

l. In a. Window shade adjuster, a pair of holders for a shade roller, each holder having an intermediately located receptacle for one of the pintles of the roller, one holder being provided with a channel extended lengthwise of the holder with one end open at one end of the holder and the other end open through one face of the holder adjacent to the other end thereof, and the holder having a receptacle for one end of an adjusting cord at the end of the holder remote from the side opening of the channel, and the other holder having a channel open at with a slot for the Winding pintle of the shade roller, With said slot inclined With respect to the longitudinal center line of the holder, and said holder also having an open ended cord channel extending throughout the greater portion of the length of the holder and inclined With relation to the longitudinal center line of the holder, the pintle receiving slot and said channel being inclined in opposite directions one with re spect to the other.

6. A Window shade adjuster having means for supporting a Window shade roller, a supporting cord connected at the ends to the adjuster and formed intermediately of its length into a loop, and an elastic hook having a return portion for receiving and clamping the loop of the cord With the Shank of the hook remote from the return portion of said hook formed into a receptacle to contain the knotted end of another cord.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my oWn, I have hereto ailixed my signature in the presence of tvvo Witnesses.

JEROME J. SOUTH. Witnesses R. L. H001), H. F. BUsH.

Sopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 01 Eaten'ts,

' Washington, JD. G. 

